The Day in Review

I need to vent about Crosby, Malkin, Gill, Scuderi - basically all the Pens letting down Marc-Andre Fleury and Jordan Staal. Blah. On to baseball.

Injury News

• Chipper Jones is getting a few days off with a bum groin. If all he misses this year are some days here and there, though, his owners will be thrilled.
• Nick Johnson is out 4-6 weeks with an injured wrist. Dimitri Young will step into his place, but I wouldn't expect too much value there.
• A-Rod is scheduled to return on Tuesday. 

Notable Performances

• Ryan Dempster, amazingly, pitched into the ninth and struck out 12. He's been a very effective pitcher this year, and it's hard to imagine him starting to struggle as the Cubs start playing better baseball when the weather turns.
• Cole Hamels threw a CG shutout and struck out 6. Great performance from him against Atlanta.
• Tim Lincecum struck out ten, allowing 3 runs in six innings against Houston.
• On the other side of the ball, in the same game, Lance Berkman continued his torrid pace. What else can I say?
• Nate McLouth had a HR, SB, and 3 walks today. The guy has been stellar, somehow, and eventually I'm going to start believing he's a useful fantasy player. Teammate Jason Bay hit a 3-run HR pinch hitting; maybe he will start driving in runs soon.

That looks like plenty to me - That's what you need to know about the day.